Dell is paying $28 per share in cash for Quest, which comes to about $2.4 billion. Dell stated in a press release that the transaction is expected to close in Dell’s third fiscal quarter and is subject to approval by Quest’s shareholders.

Quest Software provides security tools, such as identity management and access- control applications, database-management software and performance monitoring for applications, networks and databases that lets users continually monitor their IT environments, proactively identifying and remedying performance issues before they become bigger problems.

Dell currently receives $12.2 billion from the government for services, primarily from the Defense Department. The Interior and Agriculture departments are also major federal customers, followed by the General Services Administration and Health and Human Services, according to USASpending.gov.

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Quest has a smaller relationship with the federal government, receiving $23 million in total prime contracts. DoD is its primary client, followed by the GSA, Interior and HHS, according to USASpending.gov.

Francis Rose is the host of In Depth, which airs weekdays from 4-7 p.m. on 1500 AM in the Washington, DC metro area and online everywhere. Francis has covered all three branches of the federal government as a broadcast journalist since 1998. He joined Federal News Radio in 2006, and launched In Depth in 2008 as a daily show focused on connecting federal executives to the information they need to do their jobs better.